Evie's Birth Story

                Evie’s birth was a whole new experience for us.  I had had two previous c-sections so, this time around, we had no option but to have a c-section. This meant that we would have our first ever planned c-section and basically the only thing we wouldn’t know was whether Baby E would be a boy or girl.   This has it’s positives and it’s negatives, but overall the only thing that mattered was that we got to meet Evie in the end.

                At around 32 weeks we scheduled our c-section for 39 weeks 4 days on February 24^th, 2015 at 9am.  This meant that Evie ended up being my shortest pregnancy and I never had to labor at all.  It was fun to know exactly when the end was, but it also meant that I knew exactly how much time I had to finish everything I needed to.  So, though I was more prepared than ever probably, I also crammed a ton more in a short time than ever before.  I also had more time to think about the c-section and, since it was a different doctor than my last two, I inevitably thought about all the things that might be different and had to actually plan for my anesthesia and pain management, etc.

                Thankfully Evie held out and made it to her planned arrival date.  The morning of her birth, Alethea and Declan decided they wanted to see us off to the hospital and were up way too early, lol.  We said goodbye to them and headed off to the hospital while my parents stayed with the kiddos.  We had to arrive at the hospital by 645am so that I could be admitted and in the prep room by 7am.  It really wasn’t too hard to get up early since the kiddos were already awake and we were so excited already.

                Once we were admitted, I had to get in the lovely gown and then the IV fluids and such began shortly after to make sure I was well hydrated.  After answering a ton of questions and asking the few that we had, as well as waiting around for a bit, they finally took me to the operating room.  It was pretty strange to actually walk into the operating room this time.  Then, since I opted for the spinal so that I would regain feeling the quickest, they got me all set with that and started prepping me for surgery.  Thankfully the anesthesiologist was pretty awesome  this time and explained to me the crazy breathless feeling I had felt the past two times and so it actually went away quicker this time, yay!  Once I was all prepped Ben and Dr. Richardson came in and it was time for the “party” to begin.

Don't know how to rotate the photo, but this was the last prego shot

All prepped

                After things were all set, everything went pretty fast. I couldn’t see anything going on, but Ben was keeping an eye on things over the blue drape and letting me know how close we were to meeting our little one.  He also got the special privilege of announcing if we were having an Evie or an Everett.  Surgery started at approximately 9:15am and Ben announced Evie Brielle Hill’s arrival at 9:31am.  This was the first time with any of our kiddos that they showed me our little one before getting them wrapped up first.  It was only a quick peek, but it was definitely special.  Then they weighed Evie in the room with me at 7lbs 4.6oz and then Ben went with her to our “labor” room and they measured her length at 20inches.

                One of the coolest things that differed with this birth was that instead of getting her bath right away Evie got to snuggle with Ben until I got out of surgery and then immediately after I got into the room I nursed her and enjoyed some skin to skin snuggles.  We had no idea that this was how things would go, but we were so thankful for the special time with her before she had to be taken to be bathed.  She didn’t leave us until they transferred us a few hours later to the post-partum room and then they took her for a bath at that point.

skin to skin

                About the time we got settled in our room, Evie joined us again.  And she was much cleaner after that too, lol.  The first thing we noticed about Evie after spending some time with her was that the girl has a temper and a set of lungs.  Initially she was very quick to get ticked off and would go from quiet to screaming bloody murder in a matter of seconds.  Thankfully, overall she still slept a bunch so unless we did something to bug her or the nurses were in checking her vitals, she was pretty chill.

post diaper change

(one plus of a c-section is daddy has to do all the diapers initially)

                As far as my recovery, my pain levels really weren’t that bad and I really don’t like the way the stronger pain meds make me feel.  So I opted to stick to Tylenol and Motrin exclusively and honestly didn’t need anything more.  And thankfully we opted for the spinal in surgery too because it wore off quickly and I was able to walk around by evening and get the stupid catheter out too (I hate those things).  While I was definitely tired, the recovery seemed to go quickly and once I was up and around the biggest annoyance was the remnant of gas from surgery that caused shoulder pain.

                As soon as we were allowed to have visitors, my parents brought the kiddos to the hospital to meet Evie.  When they first got there nobody knew whether we had a boy or a girl because we wanted the kiddos to be the first to know.  When they got there, I had Alethea come over so that I could whisper our new baby’s name and then she told Mamaw, Papaw, Declan, and cousin Olivia.  She was so excited to have a baby sister and she stated how happy she was that Evie was a girl and not a boy because she really wanted a baby sister since she already had a brother.  Both kiddos were so sweet and wanted to be near Evie as much as possible.  I knew Alethea would be gentle and love having a baby, but it was great to see how gentle and loving Declan was toward Evie.  Later that evening my brother, his wife, and Granpeg came to visit Evie too and we had a picnic with all of us in the hospital room.  With seven adults and four kiddos in all it was quite the full hospital room, but it was a fun way to celebrate Evie’s arrival. J

First family photo of 5

She doesn't even care that Evie is crying since she got to hold her, lol

                If it were up to me, we would have left the next day, but we were not allowed to leave until the 48hr mark.  So we were in the hospital until just before lunch on Thursday.  By that point, we were both anxious to get home to sleep in our own beds and to see our other kiddos.  Alethea really wanted to drive with us to bring Evie home so my dad brought her and Declan to the hospital again so that we could drive home together.  Thankfully the hospital is only 5 minutes from our house so that was a pretty easy request to meet. J  It was great to be home and was super weird at the same time.  We have never had just us and the kiddos when we have come home with a baby.  Ben’s mom was unable to come and my parents are local now so they just told us to let them know if we needed them.  It turned out to be different, as expected, but very nice to have time just the 5 of us before Ben had to go back to work the following Monday (even if it did mean not as much resting on my part).

All of us home!

Alethea made Evie a card :-)

Declan kisses and Alethea snuggles

January 2015 update

               Our year started off sleeping through the new year.  We were both so exhausted that we decided sleep was better than watching a ball drop, lol.  We did have fun with the kiddos and do an early countdown and gave the kiddos horns to blow in celebration.  We also scheduled Baby E’s c-section arrival and, as long as Baby E cooperates, we will meet him/her on February 24^th around 9am.

                Ben and I enjoyed one last weekend away before we become a family of five.  We initially were planning a trip to Cincinnati, but we stayed in Florence, KY and ended up spending most of our time on the KY side of Cincinnati.  We enjoyed lots of time together, yummy food, laser tag, going to see Mocking Jay in the theaters, went out to eat at a revolving restaurant on the Ohio river, and on our way home we met up with our good friends, the Abshers, for lunch and lots of catching up.  It was a very refreshing weekend, but we were very glad to get back to our kiddos, enjoy snuggles with them, and sleep in our comfy temper-pedic bed.

                The next weekend we had fun in Versailles, KY with my mom’s side of the family celebrating a late Christmas and having fun with family.  It was so much fun to have all the baby cousins playing together and the adults enjoyed lots of great conversation as well as game time.  We were also blessed by my cousin’s wife, Jenny, who took some wonderful maternity photos for us.  We now have some wonderful images to remember our last few months of being a family of 4.

                Thankfully we got a small snow this month that we were actually able to get outside with the kiddos in.  They loved being out in the snow and had a blast throwing snowballs at each other and especially at Daddy.  It wasn’t a ton of snow and most of it was gone by the afternoon, but it was perfect for them.  They were even able to build a tiny snowman to put on the edge of the mailbox.  We also enjoyed some homemade hot cocoa, per Alethea’s request, after playing out in the cold for a little while.

                Ben has been very busy at work trying to make a game plan for the year as well as prepare for being gone a week to be home with Baby E in February.  He has still been working hard on his fitness goals and is excited to be training with friends from work for a mud run later in the year.  He is very excited about what the year has to offer, even if it has him busier right now.

                I have been staying busy nesting and getting things ready for Baby E’s arrival.  Lots of cleaning and organizing has been going on and, once I get started, I can stop, lol.  I also taught my last lesson for our preschool co-op this year.  We worked it out so that I wouldn’t be teaching after Baby E’s arrival.  While it is super nice to know I won’t have that added stress as we adjust to being a family of 5, I will miss teaching the kiddos every couple of weeks.  Thankfully I will have a snuggly newborn before long to keep my mind of that. J I have also been cooking up a storm in prep for Baby E.  My parents have been a blessing and came over with my niece to watch the kiddos while I made a bunch of meals and breakfast goodies to stock our freezer for after Baby E’s arrival.  Hopefully we will be well stocked come baby time!

                The kiddos and I have had some fun outings this month.  We have enjoyed playdates and shopping trips.  A few times we have been a little stir crazy and so we headed out to Chick fil A for some time out.  The kiddos enjoy going out to eat and they especially enjoy the playplace and ice cream that follow.  We also made a special trip out to the science center with my parents and niece.  It happened to be one of the coldest days of the year so it was chilly to and from the car, but they enjoyed it nonetheless.   They were redoing the young kid section, but we found plenty of other fun things to do on the other levels.  I also got to take them to Chuck E. Cheese with my mom while Ben was at a Louisville basketball game with my dad and brother.  The kiddos enjoyed it, but I can’t say that it is my favorite place to take them. (way to crowded!)

                One thing I am continually thankful for is the friendship Alethea and Declan share.  I pray that it will continue to be just as sweet and they will set a wonderful example for their little brother or sister.  It is not uncommon for them to disappear for extended periods to play in their room together.  I love hearing all the giggles and squeals that result!  They started officially sharing their room on January 12^th and it has gone surprisingly well.  We have had some rough nights, but most of the time they are asleep within 20 minutes.  They love to do crafts together and will often sit at the table coloring or painting together just giggling away and creating masterpieces.  One random fun thing they have enjoyed together is using coolers as cars, planes, boats, and more.  I have been using coolers to store groceries when Declan and I go shopping while Alethea is at preschool and they have been taking advantage of them not getting put away in a timely manner.  They also use them as collection baskets for as many toys as they can fit in them, lol.

                Alethea is becoming such a sweet young lady and, despite the fact that she is a bit nosy, I love hearing about her concern for others.  She genuinely cares deeply about others and how they are doing and shows a great awareness of others emotions and circumstances.  She also loves to throw tea parties, especially with Declan and she creates all kinds of scenarios for them going to school, the store, the park, etc. together.  She got her first Disney Barbie dolls for Christmas and that has fed her love for princesses and everything pink and purple.  She has been asking a lot about dancing and taking classes so I have a feeling that is in our near future.  She also still loves sticker and cutting out cards to give to friends and family.  She loves to write her name and anything else she can ask for help on how to spell.  We are working on holding the pencil correctly, but her writing is legible regardless so I am not worried.  She loves preschool and loves learning so much and it is exciting to see all the connections she makes on her own.  I am so proud of the little girl she is becoming and look forward to getting to know her more as she grows.

                Declan is such a happy go lucky little guy.  He is almost always smiling and is great at bringing a smile to our faces.  He still doesn’t say much but he understands so much and communicates with pointing and sounds just great.  He says words like “hah” for hi, “bah” for bye, “mama” gets used for both mommy and Mamaw, but you have to pay attention to his inflection.  I am sure he says more, but those a just a few that we hear more often.  He also really loves to make faces, especially his scrunchy nose face that we all love.  He is very engineering minded and one of the ways that is evidenced is in the fact that he figured out how to unbuckle and buckle his chest clip on his carseat.  As a result we had to swap his out for Alethea’s that was newer and he couldn’t unclip. 

He started officially sleeping in a twin bed when they started sharing a room and we have used pool noodles under the sheets instead of rails which has worked out great so far.  This month, when I cut Ben’s hair, I went ahead and trimmed up Declan’s hair as well so he got his first hair cut.  I am not ready for the top to be cut to I just shaped it all up and trimmed the back and sides so he didn’t have as much to blow in the wind.  It isn’t super evident, but I think he looks more like a little boy now. J  He still loves his blanket and would have it with him everywhere if it were his choice.  He especially loves to shove his face into it while he squeals and giggles.  He also gained all 4 of his one year molars this month finally and thankfully we only really knew because he was chewing his whole hand, lol.  Such a sweet boy and I look forward to hearing all he has to say before long! 

36 week update

How Far Along: 

36 weeks

Due Date: 

February 28th, 2015 (but scheduled c-section on February 24th)

Weight Gain:

Approximately 25lbs…yikes!

Boy or girl: 

It will be a surprise come February!  Ben thinks baby is a boy and Alethea thinks baby is a girl.  I really have no clue, but we will all be happy with either. J

Bump Picture:

Baby Development:  

Baby E is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He/she now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long (about the size of a head of romaine lettuce). E is shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered their body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected their skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Baby E swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his/her first bowel movement.

Symptoms:

The biggest symptom is hip pain. I am now regretting not seeking out chiropractic help this time around because it was so helpful during Declan’s pregnancy

Currently craving: 

Nope, I am pretty happy as long as I get food.

Currently Avoiding: 

Nothing.

Belly button status: 

Still in as expected. 

Movement:

Baby E is a party animal.  Movements can be very easily felt from the outside and both Ben and Alethea as well as several other family members have been able to feel E’s movements.  Baby E really enjoys kicking my bladder which doesn’t typically feel great and encourages many extra bathroom breaks.

Name:

Initials will be EBH if a girl and EMH if a boy

Any appointments?: 

We have an appointment on Thursday as well as an ultrasound.  At my most recent appointment my fundal height measurements were off so they just want to make sure that all is well.  Doc is not concerned and E is still partying inside so we aren’t worried either.  Doc thinks that E has just shifted and is sitting funny so the measurements were off.  We are looking forward to an extra ultrasound and praying for good news

Any baby related purchases?:

Memory book for the first year and then 5 birthdays, seat protector for under the carseat, big sis/bro gift and tshirts for kiddos.

Alethea and Declan: 

Alethea is still very excited about Baby E’s arrival and is always asking if Baby E will be doing this or that with us.  She is currently very excited about holding E and helping change his/her diaper.  She is very much convinced we are having a girl and if we don’t she has already said we have to have another baby so that she can wear all of Alethea’s old clothes, lol.

Declan doesn’t really know a baby is coming, but he is more aware of the big belly lately.  He will point to it occasionally and likes to push back on it unsuccessfully trying to make room to sit in my lap

Random:

Don’t know if my belly is bigger or my maternity clothes have just shrunk over time, but I feel like my shirts are not long enough this time around.